Arsenal 16yo signing complete as they hand him shirt number | OneFootball

Callan Hamill’s transfer to Arsenal has effectively been confirmed, with the club handing him a shirt number as the u18s returned to training this week.

Photo via Arsenal.com

Arsenal have effectively confirmed Callan Hamill’s transfer from St. Johnstone, with the youngster joining the Gunners’ u18 side in pre-season training this week.

Arsenal shared photos of Hamill in training on the official club website, with the youngster wearing the number 83. The player also shared pictures on his Instagram, which notably no longer contains any photos of his time with St. Johnstone.

Photo via Hamill on Instagram

Reports from Scotland in February revealed that Arsenal and St. Johnstone had agreed an initial six-figure fee for Hamill’s transfer, with realistic add-ons and sell-ons likely to increase the total over time.

Since then, Hamill has continued to make regular trips down to London to play for the Gunners’ academy, most recently featuring in the Liam Brady Cup just last week.

But the player remained contracted to St. Johnstone until this summer, and he even made his senior debut for the club in May.

“A very proud moment for me and my family to make my professional debut, I can’t thank the club enough for everything they’ve done for me in the last 6 years,” Hamill wrote on Instagram afterwards. “I wish [everyone] at the club the very best for the future.”

Photo via Hamill on Instagram

Rangers, Celtic, and a number of Premier League clubs fought to sign Hamill last summer, but St. Johnstone managed to hold onto him at the time.

Arsenal then went on a charm offensive, and Hamill is reportedly signing a four-year deal with the club. Despite losing one of their talented youngsters, St. Johnstone have been impressed by the way Arsenal operated throughout the process.

The 16-year-old is capable of playing multiple positions, including centre-back, full-back, and midfield. As well as St. Johnstone and the Arsenal academy, he’s spent time representing the Scotland u17s this season.